HARDSTYLE Headquarters and Command Central

I didn’t plan it on purpose, but the weekend of  Nashville Kettlebell’s Grand Opening celebration fiesta extravaganza happened to fall on June 26th. This is significant to me because my very first RKC was June 27-29. Happy HARDSTYLE birthday to me.

Snip snip...

Here we have the ribbon cutting, which Heidi seemed unusually happy about. The ribbon and 2nd largest pair of  scissors I have ever seen were  provided by the Nashville Chamber of Commerce.

Round and round.....

I demonstrated the Indian Clubs. Here I am in half kneeling posture. Expect to see a lot more of this creeping into class in the future.

For entertainment Mike the Machine Bruce and I performed a few feats of strength.

Get up! Get on up....

Here is my signature Getup/Sledgehammer combo lift at the midpoint.

Don't try this at home....or anywhere else.

After Mike did finger pullups on a 4 foot long 5/8 inch steel bar, I bent it across his throat, a signature feat for the Machine, possessor of the world’s strongest neck.

Of course we demonstrated kettlebell lifting.

Marcus showed the getup.

Careful....you don't wanna bulk up.

And Kristen did swings with 40kg, which is 3/4 of her bodyweight.

Taming the ropes.....

In addition to residents of Music CIty, we had visitors from Kentucky, ATL and Indiana. We gave away a bunch of free stuff andhad a great time all around. I really appreciate the support from everyone and promise to continue to provide the very best in kettlebell instruction.

Lose 12lbs in a week?

Learning to dehydrate to manipulate the scale?

Basing your worth as a person on a scale number?

If Biggest Loser is reality, so is Star Wars.

I applaud Kai Hibbard for stepping up and telling the TRUTH.

This is the biggest problem I have with the entire weight-loss industry. The fact that it is about WEIGHT loss. Not strength, not mobility and certainly not health. Not that I am opposed to using weight as a method of tracking progress, but if this is the ONLY measurement then it encourages people to view their entire worth as a person as a number on a scale. 

If all you care about is losing 30lbs and with ZERO regard for you health, then you may as well take a chainsaw to you leg. You’ll weigh less, I promise and it won’t take nearly as long.

Sounds ridiculous and because it is, but some of the utterly stupid stuff I have seen and heard isn’t much smarter or healthier.  

Here is the solution:  Move well and often. Get stronger. Eat real food-meat and vegetables. Measure your progress by how well you move, how good you feel and how you look. Stay off the scale.

We will be having the Grand Opening of the Nashville Kettlebell Training Hall ( Known as Uncle Iron Tamer’s House of Hardstyle to many of you ) on Saturday June 26th from 11 am until 2 pm.

The location is: 944 4th Avenue South, Nashville, TN 37210.

Consider this your invitation to come be a part of celebrating our new home! We are  Nashville’s longest running kettlebell program (I have been teaching since 2003 and Nashville Kettlebell has been running since 2005) and now we are the largest kettlebell training hall in middle TN.

There will be demonstrations of everything we do: Kettlebells? Of course! Come and see first hand why the RKC system  is the Gold Standard of safe and effective kettlebell training from the only RKC Master Instructor in the South. Come and meet our other RKC local instructors and a BUNCH of our  Nashville Kettlebell class members.

In addition to that, there will be demonstrations of Indian clubs, Battling Ropes, the Functional Movement Screen and feats of strength.

Prizes will be awarded in random drawings. What are the prizes? T-shirts and DVDs.   2 one-month class memberships. A Functional Movement Screen session and a grand prize of a three-month FREE membership.

I am also giving a special prize (to be announced) to the current member  who brings the MOST other people to the open house. Plus t-shirts and other prizes.

We will have fun, we always do. It’s mandatory. Tell a buddy, bring a friend and I look forward to seeing you there.

I got a new tattoo yesterday, one I have been thinking of getting for a long time. The double-headed RKC eagle, the symbol of the RKC School of Strength. The photo above was taken with my Droid immediately after spending the better part of 5 hours on the table, so it ain’t the best image, but you get the idea.

I am really impressed with the talent and professionalism at Black 13 Tattoo in Nashville. I especially want to thank tattoo artist Steve Martin for taking the concept in my head and putting it in my skin. This is the place to go in Nashville if you are looking to get inked.

I hope you are having a great holiday weekend!

I had plans to write an blog today talking about the importance of the real meaning of Memorial Day. Before I finished it though, Bill Hinbern at  www.superstrengthtraining.com sent out something similar to what I was working on, only better. I decided to just copy and paste it so you can read it.

“Today, in the United States of America, we celebrate the 142nd Annual Memorial Day. It is a day to reflect on the memory of those in our Armed Forces who, through their bravery, paid the ultimate price for our freedom. Traditional observance of Memorial day has diminished over the years. Many Americans nowadays have forgotten the true meaning and traditions of Memorial Day.

At many cemeteries, the graves of the fallen are increasingly ignored or neglected. Most people no longer remember the proper flag etiquette for the day. While there are towns and cities that still hold Memorial Day parades, many have not held a parade in decades. Some people think the day is for honoring any and all dead, and not just those fallen in service to our country. 

To help re-educate and remind Americans of the true meaning of Memorial Day, the National Moment of Remembrance resolution was passed on Dec 2000 which asks that at 3 p.m. local time, for all Americans “To voluntarily and informally observe in their own way a Moment of remembrance and respect, pausing from whatever they are doing for a moment of silence or listening to Taps.”

I plan to celebrate, enjoy the day, and teach class at Nashville Kettlebell tonight, and at 3pm I will be pausing to honor our fallen heroes.